TASSIE’S TOP 100 TCE LIST
FOR those who know Harshika Herath, few would have been shocked that the Sri Lankan-born 18-year-old would excel at her studies.
But when the Elizabeth College student achieved the highest possible ATAR score of 99.95, it floored her.
“Initially I was extremely surprised and so, so excited,” she said.
The talented teenager plans to study medicine and has applied to universities across Australia.
“Doing medicine is something I’ve really looked forward to for a long time and my parents have always supported me to go down that pathway,” she said.
Ms Herath is among nearly 12,000 Year 12 students who received their TCE results yesterday. Today the Mercury celebrates their achievements, publishing the top 100 students from across the state.
THE state’s top Tasmanian Certificate of Education achievers have been recognised for their exceptional academic performance.
Almost 12,000 young Tasmanians began to receive their TCE results yesterday and those working to gain an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank are also learning if they did enough to receive an offer for their university course of choice.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff congratulated the more than 11,800 senior secondary students who received their results from the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification.
“Through education, our young Tasmanians have the very best chance of getting a job and living a fulfilling life, as well as playing a crucial role in unlocking the state’s economic potential,” he said.
“Every student in Tasmania has the capacity to achieve their Tasmanian Certificate of Education and I congratulate those who have worked hard to be successful in doing so.
“In particular, we recognise the exceptional academic achievement of the Tasmanian students whose results place them in the top 100 by Australian Tertiary Admission Rank score.”
Hobart College was the best performing school on the state’s top 100 academic achievers list, with 13 students named.
Launceston College had 10 students on the top 100 list, followed by The Friends’ School and Elizabeth College, each with nine.
Students who studied the International Baccalaureate Diploma will receive their results in early January.
A spokeswoman for the office of the Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification said it does not disclose the individual scores achieved by the students, but it is understood the principals of each school are told who their top achievers are.
Harshika Herath from Elizabeth College achieved an ATAR of 99.95, which is the highest possible score.
“Initially I was extremely surprised and so, so excited,” she said.
The Sri Lankan-born 18year-old said she had applied to universities throughout Australia.
“Next year I plan to study medicine – I’m not entirely sure what I’d like to specialise in, but the idea of doing medicine is something I’ve really looked forward to for a long time and my parents have always supported me to go down that pathway,” she said.
Another top performer was Isaiah Sadiq, 18, from The Friends’ School who achieved an ATAR of 99.65.
“It was very exciting – I checked my email in bed so I was a bit tired, but I was keen to tell my parents and it was awesome for them to find out as well,” he said.
“It took a lot of hard work, obviously you’ve got to put in the time and hours to get where you want to go.”
Isaiah, who moved to Tasmania from India in 2007, also plans to study medicine.
“I think surgery would be interesting, but I’m definitely keeping my options open at the moment and seeing what’s possible,” he said.
Hobart College’s Talia Hawkes blitzed the field with an ATAR of 99.4 and has applied to the University of Tasmania and the University of Sydney.
“I’d like to study marine science but with law as a backup,” she said. “A career at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies would be great – Hobart is the perfect place to study marine science.”